WESTFIELD, Mass. -- After a successful career on the court and in the classroom, Bridgewater State University men's basketball student-athlete Rocky DeAndrade has been named the 2018 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Student-athletes are nominated by their respective schools and the award winner is determined by a vote of the league's eight Athletic Directors.
DeAndrade excelled on the court for the Bears, earning MASCAC All-Conference honors twice in his career. He garnered first team accolades this past season and was a second team selection in 2016-2017.
DeAndrade helped lead the Bears to a MASCAC Tournament title this past season as he was named the tournament MVP. Bridgewater also advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 2014.
Earlier this year, DeAndrade etched his name in the BSU record book as a member of the 1,000-point club as he reached the milestone on January 25th in a win over Fitchburg State. He currently ranks second all-time at Bridgewater State in free throw percentage (.823), third in three-point shooting percentage (.400), fifth in games played (105) and 20th in total points (1,150).
Graduating a few weeks ago with his bachelor's degree in management, DeAndrade finished his academic career with an impressive overall GPA of 3.75. He was a four-time MASCAC All-Academic honoree while also being named to the Bridgewater State Dean's List eight times. For his academic and athletic success, Rocky was named the 2017-2018 Bridgewater State Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
For community service, DeAndrade helped run the Bridgewater State Youth Basketball Clinics from 2014-2018 as they team hosted multiple clinics throughout the year. He also volunteered at the SAAC Bone Marrow Drive in 2015. On-campus, he was a student-worker during home athletic events, setting up and tearing down for games.
During his summer break in 2015 and 2017, he was a clinician with Mass Premier Courts, a facility in Foxboro, Mass. that houses six regulation basketball courts for camps, clinics and pick-up basketball. He also works for his parents' website, CapeVerdeOnline.com.
The MASCAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year has been awarded annually since 1980 to a student-athlete who has excelled in both the classroom and field of play while maintaining at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average through their last year of athletic eligibility.
Courtesy of MASCAC Director of Media Relations, Emily Loux